§2.14.1Κἂν τρὶς χίλια ἔτη βιώσεσθαι μέλλῃς, κἂν τοσαυτάκις μύρια, ὅμως μέμνησο ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἄλλον ἀποβάλλει βίον ἢ τοῦτον ὃν ζῇ, οὐδὲ ἄλλον ζῇ ἢ ὃν ἀποβάλλει.
Even if you are to live three thousand years, or even ten thousand times as many, nevertheless remember this: that no one loses any other life than this which he now lives, nor does he live any other than that which he loses.
εἰς ταὐτὸν οὖν καθίσταται τὸ μήκιστον τῷ βραχυτάτῳ.
Therefore, the longest and the shortest come to the same thing.
τὸ γὰρ παρὸν πᾶσιν ἴσον καὶ τὸ ἀπολλύμενον οὖν ἴσον καὶ τὸ ἀποβαλλόμενον οὕτως ἀκαριαῖον ἀναφαίνεται.
For the present is equal to all, and therefore that which is lost is also equal, and that which is being lost is thus shown to be a mere moment.
οὔτε γὰρ τὸ παρῳχηκὸς οὔτε τὸ μέλλον ἀποβάλοι ἄν τις· ὃ γὰρ οὐκ ἔχει, πῶς ἄν τις τοῦτο αὐτοῦ ἀφέλοιτο;
For no one can lose either the past or the future; for how could anyone take away from him that which he does not possess?
§2.14.2τούτων οὖν τῶν δύο δεῖ μεμνῆσθαι· ἑνὸς μέν, ὅτι πάντα ἐξ ἀιδίου ὁμοειδῆ καὶ ἀνακυκλούμενα καὶ οὐδὲν διαφέρει, πότερον ἐν ἑκατὸν ἔτεσιν ἢ ἐν διακοσίοις ἢ ἐν τῷ ἀπείρῳ τὰ αὐτά τις ὄψεται· ἑτέρου δέ, ὅτι καὶ ὁ πολυχρονιώτατος καὶ ὁ τάχιστα τεθνηξόμενος τὸ ἴσον ἀποβάλλει.
Therefore, of these two things you must be mindful: one, that all things from eternity are of like form and revolve in circles, and it makes no difference whether a man shall see the same things in a hundred years or in two hundred or in an infinity of time; the other, that both he who lives longest and he who is to die soonest lose an equal thing.
τὸ γὰρ παρόν ἐστι μόνον, οὗ στερίσκεσθαι μέλλει, εἴπερ γε ἔχει καὶ τοῦτο μόνον καὶ ὃ μὴ ἔχει τις οὐκ ἀποβάλλει.
For the present is the only thing of which one can be deprived, if indeed he has this alone, and that which one does not have, he does not lose.